Abstract
STOP! Do not go any further! Do not pass over this lonely editorial on your way to the outstanding research articles and case reports in another exciting issue of Veterinary Pathology. I know who you are. Skipping over the editorials, commentaries, and book reviews. I am a recovering skipper myself. Just pause for a moment and read the following important information about the 2012 ACVP and ASVCP Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington. Do you work in industry? Academia? Diagnostics? There is something for everyone in Seattle. Whether you come to the meeting every year or have not been in a while, come back home! On behalf to the ACVP Education Committee, I want to recruit you for what is expected to be an outstanding meeting and venue.
What can the meeting offer you? The following is a brief survey of the landscape. Fine details have been purposefully omitted for those like me with attention-deficit or focus atrophy disorders. If something sparks your enthusiasm, then directly proceed to the ACVP website (http://www.acvp.org) to see full details of the programs/sessions.
Plenary Session
The plenary session topic is “allergic airway disease,” and it is headlined by Dr Stephen Galli (Stanford University), an internationally recognized expert in mast cell development and function. Dr Galli will speak on the role of mast cells in the pathogenesis of asthma. The program is rounded out by Dr Clare Lloyd (Imperial College, London), speaking on adaptive immunity in allergic airway disease; Dr Dale Umetsu (Harvard Medical School), covering how innate lymphoid cells shape immunity in the lungs; and Dr Steven Varga (University of Iowa), speaking on the role of RSV infections in modulating allergic lung disease. In the history of humankind, I am not sure there has been a better plenary session lineup. Go to http://www.acvp.org/meeting/2012/plenary.cfm for more information.
Concurrent Sessions
I. Mouse Pathology
The mouse pathology session is headlined by Dr Robert Maronpot and is primarily geared for pathologists working in research, academia, and industry. The session will take a unique view of comparative pathology from both the murine and the human perspective.
II. Liver Pathology
The liver pathology session will include talks important for the diagnostician. Drs Sean McDonough and (internist) Sharon Center will discuss the utility of liver biopsy and the pathologist–clinician interaction, and there will be presentations on biliary tract diseases and identification/classification of hepatic tumors in dogs. Do not fear industry colleagues! Dr Dave Malarkey will also speak on chemically induced hepatic tumors in rodents.
III. Th Cell Plasticity and Cytokines
Do you grow weary of trying to keep up with the advancing knowledge of T helper subsets? Th1, Th2, Th17, Treg, Twho? Drs Calvin Johnson and Gregg Dean have put together a session (“Th Cell Subsets: Plasticity and Cytokines”) to set the record straight. This session will have wide appeal to all pathologists as well as trainees.
IV. Tales From the Crypt
The “Tales From the Crypt” session will highlight the role that veterinarians and veterinary pathologists have played in historically important diseases. This session will be headlined by Dr Stanley B. Prusiner, discoverer of prions and 1997 Nobel laureate. Dr Prusiner will dedicate his talk to Dr William Hadlow, a veterinary pathologist that made the early connections between kuru in people and scrapie disease of sheep.
Minisymposia
There has been a switch in the minisymposia lineup published in the spring newsletter. Dr Joanne Mansell has come to my rescue and assembled an outstanding GI pathology session. The session will focus on interpretation of endoscopic biopsies using standardization schemes, include a “clinician–pathologist” interactive for diagnosis (Dr Mansell and internist Dr Mike Willard), and finish up with the role of bacteria in IBD (Dr Kenny Simpson). In a deviation from the routine, we have planned a unique minisymposium entitled “Pillars of Pathology.” This session will include lessons and anecdotes from Dr John King (gross pathology), Dr Don Meuten (tumor pathology), Dr Mary Anna Thrall (clinical pathology), and Dr Stephen Barthold (laboratory animal pathology). What can they tell us about their success? There is more information about the “Pillars” session at a separate link: http://www.acvp.org/meeting/2012/pillars.cfm.
Funshops
I mean workshops. The premeeting workshops will include the C. L. Davis forum focusing on reproductive pathology and the ASVCP premeeting workshop focusing on quality control in the laboratory setting, and the Mouse Pathology Focus Group will have a premeeting workshop entitled “Mouse Modeling and Phenotyping: What You Need to Know to Survive in a Mutant World.” This workshop will be beneficial for any pathologist working with genetically engineered mice. Back by popular demand, Drs Carl Alden and Deborah Gillette will host a publication workshop. This popular session will focus on all aspects of generating and submitting a successful manuscript including top-tier images.
The postmeeting workshops include a session on immunohistochemistry in canine/feline cancer with emphasis on diagnosis and prognosis by Dr Matti Kiupel. The Primate Pathology Group will meet again in Seattle and continue the momentum of its previously successful workshops. The primate group will anchor the meeting with a postmeeting workshop that will extend into Wednesday evening. Its workshop will focus on emerging respiratory viral infections and include case presentations. This will dovetail nicely into the respiratory theme of the plenary.
Last but not least, Dr Keith Harris is assembling the career development session entitled “New Perspectives on Leadership: Adapting and Excelling in a Changing Work World.” Dr Nicola Mason (University of Pennsylvania) will present her recent work on identification of an oncogenic gammaherpesvirus in canine lymphomas as part of the Emerging Disease Symposium.
The venue provides an outstanding break from conference activities. There is always something special about a waterfront location. The conference hotel is in the city center, steps away from gourmet restaurants, entertainment, world-class shopping and the Pike Place market, museums, and other famous Seattle attractions . . . and don’t forget the coffee!
The meeting is scheduled December 1–5, 2012, at the Washington Trade and Convention Center. This preview represents just some of the highlights. Again, visit the webpage for more detailed information on programs, speakers, and titles. While you are there, just click on the registration icon and register. You will not regret it, and this may be the first time you registered before the November 1 deadline to avoid late registration fees. Also, book your hotel room (Seattle Sheraton) before the block fills up due to overwhelming demand for this historic meeting. We hope to see you there!